A Fashion Fix for Bridesmaid’s Dresses
Posted by Lisa on Oct 26, 2007. Filed under Fashion, Stuff We Love, Trend Watch, Wedding Dresses
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bridesmaid dress in your closet that you never once had the urge to “accidentally” decorate with nail polish before the big day?
As a rule, bridesmaids’ dresses are like uniforms, and who wants to wear a uniform to a wedding? No two women look equally great with a plunging neckline, spaghetti straps, or a big fat bow tied at the butt (actually, NO woman looks fab with the big fat bow…period). 
There’s a new solution, and it seems almost too good to be true. twobirds offers a bridesmaid’s dress in 11 yummy colors that can be worn up to ten (yes, TEN!) different ways. One dress fits women size 0-16, and it’s simple, flowy, and will look totally at home at a California wedding—or even a night on the town with the girls. Each maid can tailor the style to themselves, and they’ll still look great for pictures. You can also opt for color-matching wraps and neckties for the groomsmen.
Brides, take note. Think about it this way: torture your bridesmaids now, and they may just have to pay you back for it when they get hitched themselves…petticoats, anyone?
Hello….Kitty!
Posted by Lisa on Oct 25, 2007. Filed under Off Beat, Real Weddings
It’s no secret that many Japanese girls have a soft spot for Hello Kitty. But a whole Hello Kitty-themed wedding?
Oh yes.
While I don’t personally share the Hello Kitty obsession (I was more of a Rainbow Brite girl myself), I’m dumbfounded by how many details went into making this a playful—and surreal—wedding experience. Of course it’s a little too pink and cuddly for my personal tastes, but it raises the question—why can’t Americans have more wedding celebrations that bring out the child in us? I’m not advocating a GI Joe event (complete with camo-clad bridesmaids and the groom wielding a machine gun), but there’s plenty of inspiration coming from Saturday morning cartoons. And who wouldn’t want to attend an event with Marvin the Martian? He’d be the life of the party!
If you do take this suggestion to heart, I’m begging you: send us pictures!
What If
Posted by Meredith on Oct 22, 2007. Filed under Sex Romance Relationships
Last Wednesday night was not a great one at Chez Schwartz. It was after dinner (one that I had prepared after a very long day at work) and all three kids were working on homework while my husband of 7 years was supposed to be doing the dishes. This is our division of labor, I cook, he cleans. (Very 21st Century.) But he’d had a terrible day at work and had a cold coming on and was really dragging. So I said I’d step in and clean up the kitchen. My teeth may have been gritted when I said it, but I said it. This was, in truth, the very last thing on the planet that I felt like doing. The dishes are HIS job, right? I really was irritated, I gotta say. But I saw his weariness and I knew I needed to do what I could to make his life a bit easier.
And this, in my opinion, is marriage. It’s not the wedding, as we all know. It’s not the party or the photography or the dress. It’s definitely not the ring. It’s doing dishes when you really don’t feel like it. It’s believing that the whole reason we marry is to commit to making our spouses’ path through life just a bit easier. Actually, it was my husband who taught me all about “love through actions”. He lives it every day, making me my morning coffee, surprising me with a shiny, washed car or insisting I stop working at my computer and sit down for a five minute shoulder rub. He’s such a wonderful man.
As I stood there thinking about this that night, I thought that really, this was a great opportunity to show my love for my husband through my actions. And then I thought about all the brides out there right then planning their weddings in the later hours of the evening after a hard day at work. Do try to hear me on this: my husband and I had a lovely wedding. I wouldn’t trade that away for anything. But my experience doing the dishes the other night was a very powerful reminder of what we committed ourselves to on that day.
What if, after you’re married, you commit to putting as much effort into showing your new spouse your love through actions as you did planning your event? What would that mean for your new marriage?